Tips for working from home​

LIFESTYLE REPORTER

Although we don’t have to beat the morning rush hour working from home can still stress us out if we don’t take care of ourselves

WORKING from home used to be something that many of us dreamed of. We’d envision a stressfree morning of waking up at a reasonable time and not at the crack of dawn.

We’d skip the morning commute in traffic, have a cup of coffee and settle into our work-from-home set-up ready to take on the day. No one envisioned a pandemic, home-schooling during the day and working long hours into the night to catch up.

But here we are and we are tired – physically and mentally and, at times, wearing a onesie with the camera off on a Zoom or Hangouts call.

While some people have gone back to the office, others are still working from home. How can we take a break from it all? We spoke to Maggie Adams, HR manager at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, for advice on how employees can boost their mental health during this time. Here are her five tips.

KEEP UP THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Adams notesit’s easy to slack off on exercise while we are social distancing. “We’re staying indoors more than ever before and, as a result, many of us aren’t exercising like we used to,” she said. “It’s important to get moving, even if it’s just a 15-minute walk around your block or your house.”

STICK TO YOUR WORKING HOUR

Recent reports have shown that many people who are now working from home are finding it difficult to stick to their usual work hours and often work late into the night. “I often find myself telling our team that they absolutely have to try as far as possible to set boundaries,” says Adams. “A balance is required, and family and personal time is important for mental health.”

TAKE BREAKS

“We’re finding that people are working through lunchtime and forgetting to even eat right now,” says Adams. The usual natural mental breaks of chatting to colleagues over a coffee have also disappeared in some instances. One way to ensure you take breaks is to time block. Time blocking is where you schedule a certain amount of time to get through as much work as possible. It could be 45 minutes to an hour. Once this time has passed, this is a good time to take a short break, have a coffee or a cup of tea and reset for the next time-blocking session.

TAKE LEAVE

For a long time we all have been working from home and had nowhere to go really, even now with some of the travelling restrictions lifted, some people are not ready to travel. As a result, people are just not taking any time off. There’s also some guilt when it comes to taking time off – we’re in a pandemic and we’re in a recession. But, your mind and body needs the break. “We’re encouraging people to take their leave days,” says Adams.

CHANGE YOUR SCENERY

If you can’t take time off right now, then a change is as good as a holiday, right? Adams certainly believes so.

“You will be amazed at what a change of scenery will do your mental well-being. Consider booking yourself into a hotel. There are amazing views to be had from the rooms, complimentary wi-fi and all the things you need to turn a hotel room into your new work-fromhome set-up for a day or two.”